Garment-pressing machine.



J. B. SPENCER.

GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I5, 1915.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

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JAMES B. SPENCER, F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES HOFFMAN COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' GARMENT-PRESSING MACHINE.

Be it known that 1, JAMES B. SPENCER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Garment-Pressing Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accrating means for the movable pressing"- elecompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in garment pressing machines of the class set forth in my pending application, Serial No. 876,625, filed Dec. 11, 1914, except that it refers more particularly to the means for operating the movable pressing element.

Aside from counterbalancing the movable pressing element so as to open automatically, the main object is to control the movements of said element entirely by a pedal lever so that the operators hands may be free in spreading the garment out upon the buck and adjusting the various parts thereof preparatory to pressing.

Another object is to construct the operating means in such manner that it will automatically lock itself and its pressing element in pressing position.

A further object is to provide simple means for releasing those parts from their locked position and allow them to be re stored to their open positions by the counterbalancing means.

A still further object is to enable the opment to be adjusted to regulate the degree of pressure which may be applied to the garment.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the machine will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a garment pressing machine embodying the features of my invention, the movablejpress head and operating means therefor being shown in their normal or open positions, while the dotted lines show the same parts in their pressing positions. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 22, Fig. 1.

This'machine comprises a main supporting frame -1 upon which is mounted a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1a, 1915.

Application filed June 15, 1915. Serial No. 34,131.

bracket 2 and a rock arm 3 carrymg the pressing elements, technically known as a buck 4. and press head 5, the rock arm 3 being journaled intermediate its ends upon an upwardly extending arm 6 of the main supporting frame and is counterbalanced by a weight 7- on its rear end so as to automatically open or raise the press head from the buck and constituting a part of the operating means for the press head.

The means for forcing the press head to" is adjustable in a threaded bushing -'14:' v v on the rear end of the rocking support -3 and is held in its adjusted position by a lock nut l 5, this adjustment serving to regulate the degree of opening movement of the head 5 and also to permit the toggle to automatically lock itself and the press head connected thereto in their pressing positions in a manner hereinafter described.

The intermediate portion of the toggle lever 11- is connected to the head -13 by links 16 and 17 constituting another toggle flexing in a direction opposite to that-of the links -11 and 12 and together with the last named links constitute what may be termed a lazytong con nection between the pedal lever 8 and rocking support -3 for the press head the levers 8 and 19 in proper relation to each other, and for this purpose is composed of end and intermediate sections, the end sections being threaded to receive correspondingly threaded ends of the intermediate portion, and these sections are held in their adjusted positions by lock nuts 22.

The length of the toggle levers 11 and '12 is such as to cause them to be brought into substantially the same straight line, as shown by dotted lines, when the head -5- is inits pressing position upon a garment, thus bringing the flexing joint as j23 in approximately a straight line drawn between the pivots as 24 and 25 on the lower end of-the lever 11 and upper end of the lever -12, respectively, to automatically lock the head 5- in its pressing position against the action of a retracting spring as 26- which is connected at one end to the pedal lever 8 and has its other end attached to a lug 27 9n the main supporting frame ,1.

The links 12 and 17 are of approximately'the same length, while the portions of the levers l1 and 16- between their pivotal connections with each other and their respective links 11 and 12 are of approximately the same length, and inasmuch as the upper portion of the link 11- and the link --17 travel in substantially the same plane toward each other during the pressing operation, it is evidentthat the movement of one will be limited by the other when they come in contact, as shown by dotted lines of Fig. 1, but are so relatively arranged as to allow the flexing joint 23 connecting thetoggle levers l1 and 12 to pass through and slightly beyond a straight line drawn between the pivots 25 and -12 when the press head is brought to its pressing position, at which time the opposite flexing joint as 28- will be in position to form a limiting stop for the toggle joint 23 to prevent undue movement of the joint 23- beyond said straight line. It is evident, however, that by adjusting the head 13 farther away from the adjacent end of the rocking support 3, the joint 23 may be prevented from assuming a lockingpo'sition, or it may be adjusted to require greater pressure upon the pedal to bring it into locking. position.

After the press head has been brought to its pressing position and locked in the manner described, it 'is desirable to provide means for quickly releasing the same, and for this purpose, I have provided another relatively small pedal lever 29 which is fulcrumed at 30 to the front portion of the main supporting frame directly under the main lever S and is provided with an offset pedal -31 at one side of the main pedal as 32 of the lever 8- where it is easily available for operation at any time.

The inner end of this release lever 29 is weighted and arranged in such position as to lie in close proximity to the under side of the lever -8. when the latter is forced to its pressing position, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 1, so that by depressing its pedal 31 the inner end thereof will engage and elevate the front end of the lever 8, thereby rocking the lower end of the lever 19 forwardly from its dotted position and incidentally rocking the upper end of the lever 11 in the same direction through the medium of the link 16 which is connected thereto and also to the link 18 on the lever 19, whereupon the weight- 7 assisted by the spring -26- automatically restores the press head 5 and its operating mechanism to their normal positions, it being understood that the tension of the spring 26 is just sufficient to accelerate the return of the press head and is not sufficient to break the toggle lock between the levers 11 and 12 when forced to their locking positions.

What I claim is:

1. In a garment pressing machine, in combination with a rocking support for one of the pressing elements, operating means therefor comprising a pedal lever of the first kind, toggle connections between one arm of the lever and rocking support, and connections between the other arm of the lever and toggle for flexing the toggle joint.

2. In a garment pressing machine, in combination with a rocking support for one of the pressing elements, operating means therefor comprising a pedal lever of the first kind, toggle connections between one arm of the lever and rocking support, another toggle connection between the firstnamed toggle and rocking support, and connections between the other arm of the pedal lever and second-named toggle for flexing both toggles.

3. In a garment pressing machine, in combination with a rocking support for one of the pressing elements, operating means therefor comprising a pedal lever, and toggle connections between said lever and rocking support having its flexing joint movable to a position in approximately a straight line between the points of connection with the lever and rocking support to automatically lock said support in its pressing position.

4. In a garment pressing machine, in combination with a rocking support for one of the pressing elements, operating means therefor comprising a pedal lever, toggle connections between said lever and rocking support having its flexing joint movable to a position in approximately a straight line mettle the pedal lever for breaking the toggle lock. pressing machine, 1n I combination with-a rocking support for one 5. In a garment of the pressing elements, operating means therefor comprising a pedal lever, lazy-tong connections between the. pedal lever and rocking support for operating the latter as the pedal is moved in one direction, said lazy-tong having means for automatically locking the support and press head carried thereby in their pressing positions.

6. In a garment pressin'g'machine, in com bination with a-rocking support for one of the pressing elements, operating means therefor comprising a pedal lever, lazy-tong connections between the pedal lever and rocking support for operating the latter as the pedal is moved inone direction, said lazy-tong having means for automatically locking the support and press head carried thereby in their pressing positions, and means operable at will for flexing the locking means to permit the parts to return to their normal positions;

7. In a garment pressing machine, in combination with a movable support for one of the ressing elements, operating means .there or comprising a pedal lever, a toggle having one of its members connected to said lever and its other member adjustably connected .tothe support, connections between said toggle and pedal lever for flexing the toggle to force the support and press head carried thereby to their pressingposition s,-.and means for automatically returm ing said support and press head from such position.

8. In a garment pressing machine, in combination with a rocking support for one of the pressing elements having counterbal ancing means therefor, means for operating said support against the action of the counterbalancing means comprising a head adjustably mounted on the support, lazytongsivot'ed at one end to said head, a pedal lever connected to one of the tong members, a link'connected to another one of the tong members, a lever connected to said link, and connections between the lastnamed lever and pedal lever.

9. In agarment pressing machine, in conibination-with a rocking support forone of the pressing elements, a head adjustably mounted upon the support, a pedal lever of the first kind,lazy-tongs connected at one end to said head and having one of its members connected to one of the arms of the pedal lever, and connections between an other one of the tong members and other arm of the pedal lever.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of May, 1915.

JAMES B. SPENCER.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, ALICE M. CANNON. 

